Blue whale is a sea animal. The big blue whale is the giant of the planet Earth. Description and photo of the blue whale. Various social media death groups

In the abdominal cavity of spiders there are numerous arachnoid glands. Their ducts open with the smallest spinning tubes, which are located at the ends of six arachnoid warts on the spider's abdomen. A spider-cross, for example, has about 500-550 such tubes. Spider glands produce a liquid viscous secret, consisting of protein. This secret has the ability to instantly harden in air. Therefore, when the protein secretion of the spider glands is released through the spinning tubes, it freezes in the form of thin filaments.

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1. Spider-cross (with an open abdominal cavity)
2 Spider Web Warts

The spider begins to spin his web like this: he presses the spider warts to the substrate; at the same time, a small portion of the released secret, solidifying, sticks to it. The spider then continues to draw the viscous secret from the web tubes with the help of its hind legs. As it moves away from the site of attachment, the rest of the secret simply stretches into rapidly hardening threads.

Spiders use the web for a variety of purposes. In the web shelter, the spider finds a favorable microclimate, where it also hides from enemies and bad weather. Some spiders web the walls of the mink. From the web, the spider weaves sticky trapping nets to catch prey. Egg cocoons, in which eggs and young spiders develop, are also made from cobwebs. The web is also used by spiders for travel - small tarzans weave safety threads from it, which protect them from falling when jumping. Depending on the purpose of use, the spider can secrete a sticky or dry thread of a certain thickness.

In terms of chemical composition and physical properties, the web is close to the silk of silkworms and caterpillars, only it is much stronger and more elastic: if the breaking load for caterpillar silk is 33-43 kg per 1 mm 2, then for the web - from 40 to 261 kg per mm 2 (depending on the type)!

Other arachnids, such as spider mites and false scorpions, can also secrete cobwebs. However, it was spiders who achieved true mastery in weaving webs. After all, it is important not only to be able to make a web, but also to produce it in large quantities. In addition, the "loom" should be located in the place where it is more convenient to use it. In false scorpions and spider mites, the raw material base of the web is located ... in the head, and the weaving apparatus is located on the oral appendages. In the conditions of the struggle for existence, animals whose heads are weighted with brains, and not with cobwebs, gain an advantage. That's what spiders are. The spider's belly is a real web factory and spinning devices - spider webs - are formed from atrophied abdominal legs on the underside of the abdomen. And the limbs of spiders are simply "golden" - they spin so deftly that any lace maker can envy them.

To study how a spider weaves a web, scientists chose nephila (Nephila). This type of tropical spider is famous for its unusually strong silk thread, which is even used to make bait for catching fish. Nephiles weave huge webs of cobwebs, and have a brutal appetite. They mainly feed on flies and other insects. Flies are their favorite food, but sometimes small birds get caught in nets.

Nephila spiders are poisonous, and their venom is comparable in toxicity to the poison of karakurt. But to find out where the web is formed and how the spider's web is used, this did not stop the anachrologists. Spider silk is an extremely durable material. It surpasses in strength all synthetic polymeric materials invented by man. From it, spiders manage to weave a web that can withstand not only its own weight, but also extinguish the impact energy of a flying insect.

To build a web, a spider uses a thread thirty times thinner than a human hair. Spiders are remarkable in that, unlike other animals that search for building materials for nests in the environment (for example, birds search for twigs to build nests), they manage to store a lot of building materials inside their bodies.

Where does the web of spiders come from? The blank for the web - silk, is stored in the body of the spider. Only there it has the appearance of a certain protein mass, like a soup, where two types of proteins swim randomly. When this soup is released outside through the special glands of a special shape with which its body is equipped, it undergoes changes almost immediately, it becomes hard. There are several silk glands in the spider. They allow the spider to change the thickness, strength and density of the web. An adult spider has enough material to weave three webs in a row. During the experiments, scientists pulled a silk thread from a spider, 30 meters long.

How does a spider spin its web? Weaving a web is a very complex and well-adjusted process. The first thread that the spider pulls from the back of the body serves to create the basis of the web, while it is the strongest, as it consists of the first, ordered type of proteins. Then a temporary frame is made, for which the spider from the center of the web to the outer edges lays paths of threads of a completely different quality. Then the spider begins to weave a network in a circle from the outer edge to the center. At the same time, the spider eats the temporary frame and replaces it with a very elastic and sticky silk. This deadly weapon for the trap is sticky silk, scientists examined under an electron microscope. There were tiny drops of glue on it. But why the spider does not stick to its web is the topic of another article.

The power and impressive size of whales stun people and make them tremble before the power of nature. It is almost impossible to believe that such large and strong creatures live next to us. Those who were lucky enough to see the largest blue whale in the world will remember this meeting for the rest of their lives. Such giants are the pride of our planet. Even looking at you from a photo, these huge mammals stun everyone. They are priceless and unique in their kind, and everyone should know about them.

Blue whale dimensions

George Melville wrote in his cult novel Moby Dick: no matter how unreasonably animals behave, man immeasurably surpasses all with his madness. The same situation has developed with the largest whale on the planet. People mercilessly exterminate it and, perhaps, soon this amazing species of animals will disappear from the face of the Earth. Whalers are attracted primarily by the size of this giant and the reserves of its meat, as well as fat.

To more clearly imagine the dimensions of the blue whale, we will take as a basis the description of the largest specimens caught in South Georgia and near the South Shetland Islands:

• Total weight: 170-190 tons.
• Length: 30-34 meters.
• Language - 3-4 tons.
• Liver - 1 ton.
• Heart - 700 kg.
• Lung volume - 3000-5000 l.
• The size (area) of the pasture is 24 sq.m.
• Throat diameter - 10 cm.
• Blood - 8-10 thousand liters.

The huge inhabitants of the oceans have shocked scientists more than once. Long ago, in 1870, the jellyfish Tsyanei was caught off the coast of North America. Its length reached the size of a 9-storey building, that is, 35 meters!

Naturally, the data presented above refers only to the largest blue whales in the world that mankind has seen. Scientists believe that earlier and even now especially large individuals live somewhere. At the moment, the average blue whale weighs 120-150 tons, and its length does not exceed 23-25 ​​m. By the way, females are always larger than males by a ton or two. Note that the diameter of the throat of this animal is very small, therefore, not a single whale of this species will be able to swallow anything larger than a soccer ball.

Interesting! One of the dedicated researchers of blue whales has aptly described the sensations that appear when meeting with them. He said that the feeling is similar to that which people experience when they are on a railway platform, when a huge train passes by, and each of those present is afraid that he will be swept away by a gust of wind under heavy wheels.

baby blue whales

We are born very tiny. Basically, the weight of a human baby is 2-4 kg. Now let's compare it with a baby blue whale. The weight of the largest baby is 3 tons, and the length is 5-6 m! Unimaginable!

Moms bear future giants for exactly 1 year, feed for 7 months, and they are able to live up to 100 years. These animals breed only once in 2 years. The moment when a female can become pregnant for the first time comes after 10 years. Unfortunately, the soft meat of young whales is too valuable for whalers. Most individuals do not survive to sexual maturity.

It is known that in Japan the fishery is so developed and active that they have practically no longer the longest whales in the world. Statistics show that before the start of hunting for these mammals, there were about 330 thousand of them on the planet as a whole. Moreover, the habitat is not limited to any one zone. At the moment, there are just over 5,000 blue whales left on the planet, or just over 8,000 according to other sources.

Types of blue whales, their capabilities and behavior

Within their species, these beauties are divided into completely different 3-4 subspecies:

1. Northern(North Atlantic, northern part of the vast Pacific Ocean).
2. Southern(southern waters of the ocean).
3. Dwarf(Indian and South Atlantic).
4. Indian(Indian Ocean). This subspecies is not always distinguished in classifications.

Each representative of these huge animals has impressive features:

• Speed: 50 km / h - maximum, 37 km / h - normal, 5 km / h - when feeding, 2-6 km / h - grazing vomit (BlueWale).
• Power: 500 l. With.
• Diving depth: 100 m - normal, 500 m - in pursuit.
• Breath: 1-4 rubles / min. - usually adults, 5-10 rubles / min. - young, 3-6 rubles / min. - when pursued by whalers.
• Heartbeat: 5-10bpm, 20bpm - while chasing.
• Voice power: 188 dB - maximum, 20 dB - for communication with other individuals. (Audibility at a distance of 1600 km).
• Food: able to eat 3600 kg of krill.
• Record time spent under water: 36 minutes, but according to the whalers, the maximum is 50 minutes.

The whalebone helps to feed the largest whale on the planet. This is something in the form of a brush or sieve, which weeds out excess along with water. The mustache consists of more than 790 plates, each of which weighs 90 kg.

Such animals lead a solitary life, do not gather in a herd. A maximum of blue whales can unite with 2-3 brothers, and only in the feeding place there are 50-60 heads, keeping apart.

Scientists are still arguing about the origin of these mammals. Interesting is the fact that their fins have finger brushes, and the structure of the skeletons says that they are completely different from fish.

Who threatens the world's largest whales?

Humans can be safely considered a terrible and dangerous enemy of these mammals, but there are also natural threats in the form of vicious killer whales. These predators pounce on the giant of the oceans in a flock of 30-40 individuals and tear it apart.

And in conclusion, I would like to convey a very important idea. The largest whales in the world die painfully and for a long time. We need to fight for their survival with all our might, otherwise we will cease to be human.

According to one scientific theory, the modern blue whale is the descendants of ancient mammals that millions of years ago lived not in water, but on land. No matter how strange this assumption may be, the reasons for its existence are quite good: one has only to look at the structural features of the skeleton, and also pay attention to the fact that these oceanic giants do not have gills.

Moreover, these mammals do not spawn, but give birth to fully formed young, which are fed with mother's milk. So, what do whales look like and how long do they live? What are their dimensions and weight? About all this in order.

The largest whale in the world: characteristics and types

It is known that this representative mammals- the largest in the world, the dimensions of which are really impressive: the length of the blue whale is 34 m, and the weight of the blue whale is about 180 tons. It belongs to mammalian vertebrates.

If we compare the rest of the representatives of this detachment with him, then their sizes will be significantly inferior:

Many people mistakenly believe that a whale is a giant fish, but this opinion is erroneous, because they have only two similar features: body structure and habitat. At the same time, there are big differences in the circulatory system, in the structure of the skeleton, and even in the skin. The biggest difference between whales and regular fish is reproduction.

About the size of the whale

It’s worth starting with the fact that all these sea giants are divided into two suborder- These are mustachioed and toothed. Baleen whales are peaceful animals that feed on mollusks and plankton, they filter them out with their special whiskers, which have plates. Such mammals are considered the largest representatives of their kind, their adult body length is more than 10 m.

Toothed whales are real predators that prey on other mammals and other fish. Their representatives are very diverse, however, they are inferior in size to their peaceful counterparts: the body length of an adult predator does not exceed 10 m. Predators include river and ocean dolphins, beaked whales and sperm whales.

Now you can consider some of the most famous representatives:

Features of the largest mammal on the planet

First, it’s worth talking about how many years the blue whale lives, because this issue is controversial among scientists. According to general data, on average, such an animal lives for about 80-90 years, but there have been cases when this representative of mammals lived up to 110 years. However, according to other scientists who have studied these giants in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the United States, these animals can live a maximum of 40 years.

Another interesting feature is that all blue whales communicate with each other using ultrasound, and movement in space occurs due to echolocation. Such mammals have very poor eyesight, taste and smell.

It is interesting that in fact the skin of this animal is not at all blue and not even blue, but ordinary gray. But if you look at them through the water column, they really seem blue. In fact, that is why they got their name.

Many are wondering if such a huge representative of mammals is dangerous for humans, because it is huge and it seems that it can swallow absolutely any prey. The answer here is unequivocal - no, such mammals are not interested in people, because they prefer completely different food. The only thing that such a giant can do harm is to accidentally turn over the ship, which is located near it, when surfacing.

These aquatic animals do not have gill openings, which means that they need atmospheric air to breathe. To do this, they rise to the surface every 10-15 minutes, and signal their appearance with a characteristic fountain of water.

The blue whale is the largest whale, the largest modern animal, and also probably the largest of all animals that have ever lived on Earth. Its length reaches 33 meters, and its weight can significantly exceed 150 tons. It can eat up to 40 million small crustaceans per day.

Let's find out more about it...

This is truly a huge animal, just a giant. Previously, its range was from the Antarctic to the Arctic. Whaling nearly wiped out the blue whale. Today it is listed in the International Red Book and the Red Book of Russia.

Once upon a time, blue whales plied all the oceans of the world; and it is estimated that there were up to 250,000 of these creatures in Antarctica alone. However, in recent years ruthless fishing has left less than 1% of the above figure. It is very difficult to determine the total number of these huge animals, so the size of the Antarctic blue whale population, according to modern estimates, ranges from a few hundred to 11,000. But whatever the exact figure, it in any case seems dangerously low compared to the number that existed before.

Want to VIRTUALLY VIEW a whale in every detail?

However, the largest whale in the world has not only huge body sizes. He just has incredibly large internal organs. And only one language weighs so much that it is hard to imagine: 4 thousand kilograms. Well, the heart of a blue whale weighs about 700 kilograms. However, such an impressive size for the ocean is not uncommon. Few people know that back in 1870, the largest jellyfish was found near the coast of North America. Medusa Tsyanei in length was more than 35 meters. To better visualize its size, you can compare it with the height of a 9-story building.

When a small whale is born (or more precisely, on the water), it already weighs about three tons. The length of the cub is comparable to a small tree - 6-7 meters. For a person, these are already unimaginable dimensions, it is difficult to imagine a living creature of such dimensions. Every year the whales only grow, moreover, a small whale is pulled out at a high speed. At the same time, whales, according to various sources, can live up to a hundred years. However, despite the active growth and life expectancy, whales produce offspring very slowly. Females of the largest whale in the world reach puberty only by the age of ten, and they give birth no more than once every two years. Mammals, unlike humans, carry a fetus for about 12 months. Despite such circumstances, now powerful and noble mammals are being destroyed mercilessly.

And they do it at such a speed that blue whales do not even have time to reach their maternal age, that is, they die in childhood. The largest whales are now not so abundant in the oceans, their population is decreasing exponentially. They are now on the verge of extinction. In Japan, for example, fishing is so active that there are practically no whales left there. Initially, the number of blue whales (this was before the start of intensive fishing) was estimated at 215 thousand individuals. But it is rather difficult to calculate the current livestock. And the reason is quite simple. For many decades, these mammals have not been studied very actively. According to the data for 1984, no more than 1900 whales live in the Northern Hemisphere, and more in the Southern Hemisphere - about 10 thousand heads. True, half of them are a dwarf subspecies. Now, according to some reports, there are no more than 2 thousand blue whales in the entire world ocean. True, according to other experts, the figures are more optimistic - at least 8 thousand individuals.

However, blue whales can die not only from human hands. A mammal can also become a victim of its marine neighbors. You might think that adult whales, due to their gigantic size, have no natural enemies. However, they can still fall under the disfavor of killer whales. The latter gather in flocks, tear apart blue whales and eat them. And cases of attacks have already been registered. So, in 1979, a flock of 30 killer whales attacked a young blue whale.

Killer whales rushed at their prey, tore off pieces from it. Moreover, the attackers did not even make out where to bite - in the head, sides or back. And in 1990, two large whales were described that were seen in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They had scars in the form of parallel stripes, judging by them, teeth marks of killer whales were left on mammals.

The color of the blue whale, surprisingly, is not blue, but mostly gray, but with a blue tint. And they called the blue mammal because when you look at a whale through the water, it seems to be blue, well, or blue. At the same time, the fins and belly of the animal are lighter than the rest of the body. Blue whales live in both warm and cold waters. These are polar and tropical seas. Creatures do not have teeth, but despite this, they feed on all small marine life, for example, plankton or small fish. For food, the largest whale in the world has a "whalebone". This is a device that looks more like a brush or a huge sieve. It is able to pass through itself elements unnecessary for nutrition, and in addition, filter water. A blue whale cannot eat a person, even if he really wants to. Therefore, the mammal is considered almost safe for humans. However, an inhabitant of the seas and oceans can easily turn over a medium-sized water vessel, and not on purpose, but simply by accidentally hitting it.

There is a theory that whales entered the water from land. As proof of this - the structural features of the skeleton of a mammal, which does not really resemble a fish. The blue whale even has finger brushes on its fins. Moreover, the blue whale does not lay eggs or spawn, it produces already living organisms.

It is worth noting that whales have a very poor sense of smell and vision. Therefore, the largest whale in the world communicates with its fellow tribesmen exclusively with the help of sounds. And in order for other mammals to hear the cry, the whale has to invest up to 20 hertz in the message. And this is enough to transmit information over a great distance - individuals are able to hear each other at a distance of up to 800 kilometers and even more. However, if the whale overdoes it and shouts with more or less force, then the brethren will not hear it. Yes, and whales are not capable of understanding someone. For the most part, these mammals are loners. The blue whale, as a rule, does not form herds. But sometimes mammals still gather in groups, but they are not numerous, only 2-3 heads. Only where there is a lot of food, you can find large accumulations. However, even in such groups, blue whales keep apart from each other.

The mammal is not as agile as other large cetaceans. Whale movements are slow and clumsy. And they are active only in the daytime, this is evidenced by the fact that, for example, off the coast of California, individuals stop their movements at night. In general, the life of blue whales at night is still little studied.

Blue whales swim in groups of 2 or 3, and sometimes alone. He tries not to swim to the shore. Several groups may gather in places of accumulation of plankton. The speed of the blue whale is 9-13 km / h. If the whale is frightened or runs away, then it develops a speed of 25 km / h, and releases small fountains every 30 seconds.

The blue whale dives for 10-12 minutes, if the condition is calm. After a long and deep immersion, it first appears on the surface of the blowhole, on the top of the head. The small dorsal fin is visible when the front of the whale is already underwater. After the fountain, the whale arches its back. Blue whale, the caudal fin usually does not show, but strongly exposes the caudal peduncle in a semicircle

The blue whale has an elongated, slender bluish-gray, flat on the side, body with gray spots of various sizes and shapes. The back and sides of a light color, lighter than the general tone. And the head and jaw are dark in color. The head has the shape of an angle of 45 °, wide from above. The pectoral fins are narrow, pointed and long. The caudal fin is wide, with pointed edges. The blue whale has about 60 submandibular throat folds.

Whales are extremely hardy. It can be in motion for many days without a single stop. But despite the strength they need constant human help to survive.

During the day, the blue whale eats about 1 ton of krill (that's about 1 million calories), which basically feeds on it. The whale ingests krill, along with thousands of liters of water, swimming through its accumulations, and then filters it by pushing all this mass with its tongue through the whalebone. By the way, the tongue of a blue whale weighs more than an elephant, and the thickness is more than 3 meters.

female pregnancy blue whale lasts 11 months. Offspring are brought once every three years. One whale weighing up to 3 tons and up to 7 meters long is born in the water. It feeds on fatty (42%) and thick mother's milk for about seven months. The kitten receives a portion of milk by contraction of the mother's muscles. In one day, the cub drinks over 600 liters of milk. The baby is growing literally by leaps and bounds. During the day, she gains weight up to 100 kg, and the length of the kitten increases by 4 cm. Wow, baby! A loving mother is always there, touchingly takes care of her child. When the plates of the whalebone are fully developed, the grown whale itself is able to swallow food. This usually happens at the age of seven months.

Blue whales are almost completely blind and devoid of smell, so the only way they use to study the world around them is echolocation using sounds. Whales spend a huge amount of time analyzing sound signals from outside, which is facilitated by the structure of the animal's skull. In front of the head of the animal is a sound-reproducing system, which serves as a lens that reproduces and captures sounds. The famous songs of blue whales, reaching 188 decibels, are most often associated with the breeding season. Males usually “sing”, but sometimes females also “sing” to their children (you can listen to the songs of blue whales below). With the help of echolocation, individuals can communicate with each other, even at a distance of up to 1600 km from each other.